Surrey Heath

Surrey Heath's population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. At the same time there were changes in religion, ethnicity and housing tenure.

The population passed 86,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Surrey Heath increased by 7.3%, from about 80,300 to 86,100.

The addition of just over 5,800 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Surrey Heath was home to, on average, 6.5 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Surrey Heath

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Surrey Heath increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This affluent suburban area had a slightly higher average age than the South East and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 2,200 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 2,000.

About 17% of people in Surrey Heath are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Surrey Heath by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health fell in Surrey Heath, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas across England, except Barnsley.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

Every local authority area across the South East saw a fall in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad, as the regional average fell from 7.2% to 4.4%.

In 2011, just under 1 in 30 (3.2%) in Surrey Heath said their health was bad or very bad, compared with 5.3% in 2001. The percentage that perceived their health as good or very good increased from 77% to 87%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad occurred in Wokingham (from 4.6% to 2.8%).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Surrey Heath decreased by 2.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Surrey Heath, the South East and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Surrey Heath

The percentage of Surrey Heath residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 1.9% to 2.5% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

The percentage who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 6.8%, while the percentage of Surrey Heath residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 91%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.2% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Surrey Heath

The number of people in Surrey Heath that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 11,000 in 2001 to about 21,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 14% to 24% of the local population.

The percentage increased by less than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%), but at a similar rate to the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Surrey Heath that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 61,000 in 2001 to about 55,000 in 2011 (from 76% to 63%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 5,300 to about 6,200 (from 6.7% to 7.2%).

Just over 1,600 people (1.2%) said they were Muslim, up from about 940 in 2001 (1.9%).

The population without a religion in Surrey Heath increased by 9.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Surrey Heath by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Surrey Heath

The number of people in Surrey Heath from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from about 2,000 in 2001 to just under 5,400 in 2011. This represents a change from 2.5% to 6.3% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South East (from 2.6% to 5.0%) and the average across England (from 5.2% to 8.0%).

The number of people in Surrey Heath from the White ethnic groups increased from just under 77,000 in 2001 to about 78,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 95% to 90%. The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from just under 860 to just over 1,600 (from 1.1% to 1.9%).

About 860 people (0.4%) said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, up from about 330 in 2001 (1.0%).

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Surrey Heath increased by 3.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Surrey Heath by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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